It's impossible to categorically state which breakthrough has had the greatest impact on our modern world, but harnessing electricity would have to be right up there. It's hard for most of us to imagine our lives without it – you wouldn't be reading this for a start. From electric lighting to instantaneous global communications, the evolution of electronics is far from over – keep up to date with the latest developments here.
Most batteries have a cathode on one side and an anode on the other, with a separator between them. Engineers at Cornell University have developed an unusual new structure that intertwines the components together in a swirling shape, which they say lets the device recharge in a matter of seconds.
Continue Reading
Scientists have developed what they claim is the “smallest and cheapest” electronic nose for sniffing out people, designed with earthquake and avalanche rescue in mind. The nose detects various substances which would provide the crucial “chemical fingerprint” showing the presence of human life.
Continue Reading
Waste heat generated by electronics can damage components, and represents a large amount of energy going to waste. Now scientists at the UCB have developed a thin film that could be built into computers, cars or factories to capture and recycle the energy from waste heat.
Continue Reading
MIT spin off company Ayar Labs is combining electrons and light in new optoelectronic chips to speed up data transmission and reduce energy consumption in chip-to-chip communications by 95 percent.
Continue Reading
Researchers have made an incredible advance in the field of real-time projection mapping, creating a new system that can simulate the way light reflects off a nonexistent 3D structure. The result is stunningly realistic dynamic projection that heralds a new generation of trippy performance art.
Continue Reading
We’re so used to having devices powered by lithium-ion batteries that it’s hard to imagine using anything else, but there are plenty of alternatives. The latest, an aqueous hybrid capacitor, is stable, safe and boasts high energy and power densities, recharging in as little as 20 seconds.
Continue Reading
We’ve cut the cord for communication, thanks to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but charging our little pocket supercomputers still takes a tether. Now a team from the University of Washington has demonstrated how lasers could be used to charge a device from across the room.
Continue Reading
Researchers have developed a triboelectric nanogenerator in the form of a small metallic tab that can generate electricity from simple body movements, such as the bending of a finger.
Continue Reading
Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder have developed an electronic skin embedded with a host of sensors that can be bent and twisted to custom fit its owner. If it gets damaged, the e-skin can be healed, and it can be completely recycled at the end of its useful life.
Continue Reading
If an electronic device containing sensitive information were to fall into the wrong hands, it would be good if there were a way of remotely disabling it. That's why scientists have developed a method of vaporizing electronic circuits, without laying a hand on the actual device.
Continue Reading
See the stories that matter in your inbox every morning